Big gatherings, kabooms and brilliant fireworks are all things people love about Independence Day, but they can be very frightening for pets. With a little planning and precaution, you can ensure that the holiday is enjoyable for everyone.

Keep pets indoors — Keep your pets in a safe, enclosed room, preferably one without windows. If you’re having entertaining, consider keeping pets in a room that’s off-limits to guests with plenty of water and food.

Create a calming environment — Surround pets with their favorite toys and other familiar objects. Sometimes, the smell of an article of clothing from your laundry can help comfort them. Play soothing music and keep the room as quiet as possible by closing doors, windows and blinds.

Keep away from fireworks — Even if your pet doesn’t seem obviously upset by fireworks, they can still cause harm. Avoid potential burns, injuries or possible ingestion by keeping all pets out of the vicinity of fireworks.

Update identification — The biggest risk of all is that pets will get loose and become lost. Even if a pet is secured inside, the sound of fireworks can cause extreme panic — sometimes causing them to even break through glass windows. Make sure your pets are microchipped and wearing identification tags. Call to confirm that the pet’s veterinarian and the microchip company have your current address and phone numbers.

The Seattle Humane Society offers $20 microchipping services, including national registration, for pets of income-restricted guardians. Learn more here.

From history lessons to soccer, Issaquah will have many opportunities for those wanting to celebrate America this Fourth of July.

While the events will largely resemble last year’s, organizers hope the tried-and-true celebrations will offer the same level of community involvement and entertainment. Both the Down Home 4th of July and Heritage Day will take place in downtown.

The Swedish Hospital Kids ‘n Pets Parade will kick off the day, beginning at 11 a.m. It will wind its way down Front Street North and East Sunset Way before ending at Veterans’ Memorial Field.

“We will have a lot of the traditional favorites come back,” Issaquah Chamber of Commerce Director of Festivals Robin Kelley said.

The Issaquah History Museums take requests regarding what people would like to see in the Digital Collection. Roughly quarterly, volunteers have a data-entry day and prep a bunch of records for upload. If there is a particular name, place or item you’d like to see more images of on the website, email Erica Maniez at erica.maniez@issaquahhistory.org. If you have a photo or subject you would like to see in this feature, email editor@isspress.com.

Libertarians believe in the maximum amount of personal freedom without government intrusion.

Over the years, they’d point to an encroachment of the government of these freedoms in the name of public safety, including seat belts, motorcycle helmets and traffic cameras.

I was all ready to rant about the erosion of my freedom on the Fourth of July to blow stuff up in celebration of our country’s independence. However, trying to find any place to legally blow up fireworks these days other than the parking lot of Fireworks City at the Indian reservation where they’re bought is becoming more and more futile.

Celebrate the Fourth of July at Pickering Barn, where Master Chorus Eastside will hold its 14th annual Celebrate America concert.

“The concert is very informal and a lot of fun, with ample opportunity for the audience to sing along” said Dr. Linda Gingrich, artistic director and conductor of the chorus. “We tend to do a lot of watching in our culture, and it is important to keep these songs and traditions alive as we sing together.”

This year’s concert focuses on the great American oratory tradition with excerpts from historical speeches, such as Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech.

Our state park needs passionate ‘friends’

Lake Sammamish State Park needs a group of passionate people to come together as Friends of Our State Park. Both leaders and roll-up-your-sleeves volunteers are wanted.

The state park has had a plan in place for five years. That plan would add an esplanade between the picnic and beach areas for walkers to access a new bathhouse, a boathouse for kayaks and rowing shells, a lakefront café, improved group sites, environmental educational components throughout, an RV and tent park, a lodge to host youth or adult groups for overnights or meetings, and much cleaner beach and grassy areas.

A citizen group met for three years to come up with the plan, and design work was completed for the esplanade and bathhouse. It was to have been done by 2013, in time for the 100th anniversary of Washington State Parks.

Fourth of July revelers should dump leftover fireworks, rather than storing the pyrotechnics inside a home or garage.

Curious children may decide to light old fireworks. Exposure to water or chemicals can cause the composition of fireworks to change, making them hazardous materials. Stray sparks could ignite fireworks and lead to disaster. Or the explosives could spontaneously combust.

Safety experts recommend disposing of small amounts of fireworks by removing the fuse, and then soaking the fireworks in water until saturated. The waterlogged fireworks should then be double-bagged in trash bags.

July 4 parade has become candy mecca

The parade has been a community treasure since its first march down Front Street more than 30 years ago. There just isn’t anything as patriotic as this celebration of families decked out in every conceivable red, white and blue outfit with their fun accessories, all while riding bikes and scooters, walking dogs and rabbits, and waving flags.

Sadly, it has become hard to enjoy it, given the many kids in the middle of the street scrambling for the tossed candy. Read more

The incidents included a torched barn and a vehicle lost to a fireworks-related blaze. The agency did not report any injuries related to the incidents.

The action started Monday in downtown Issaquah at Front Street South and Newport Way Southwest, as firefighters responded to a smoke bomb at 9:40 p.m.

Just after midnight on the holiday, Wednesday, firefighters started the Fourth of July by responding to a garbage can fire started by a sparkler bomb at Southeast Belvedere Way and 266th Way Southeast in Sammamish.